To Each His Storm
by Sierra Sutherwind
Summary: In the aftermath of an overwhelming mission to Vietnam, Murdock is still having problems to let go. Choosing to stay with him through his personal storm, Hannibal remembers the mission that brought them together for the first time. After The Sound Of Thunder. Flashbacks from the war.
1. Chapter 1

_Nine years after my first fanfic. _

_I'm Sierra Sutherwinds, I'm officially back, and I had to do it through the first fandom that inspired my writing._

_Disclaimers, Yes. I don't own the characters. _

_Synopsis: For every road we take, there is always a way back home._

_This takes place after The Sound Of Thunder_

1.

_Colonel, can I ask you a question…" _Murdock stared at him seriously, ready to ask a question that had been on his mind for some time now. _"Before we were to go back, did you think about it?"_

"_I remembered it, but I didn't think about it."_

Hannibal did not take note on the confusion on Murdock's face. He had given the captain an honest answer to a rather strange question. It was difficult to see that the whole trip and ordeal would have taken so much of a toll on him. Perhaps they had been so busy taking care of Murdock's physical health that they missed the warning signs of post traumatic stress quietly surfacing.

Murdock's wound was almost healed when they got to LA, so there was no problem with letting him go back to the Veterans Hospital. Besides a couple of sleepless nights during the trip back home, Murdock seemed to have returned to his natural state of wild imagination and for a while things seemed to go back into the right course.

"I called a friend of a friend at the Pentagon and this phone number came up." Face spoke slowly as though allowing the suspense to settle in the air. "It happened to be from General Ludlum's office." That caught Hannibal's attention right away. They had not heard from the general since a couple of years before when they had rescued him and his daughter from imprisonment in the jungles of Borneo. He was also one of the few head officers that still believed in the A-Team's innocence.

"Well? Where are you going with this?" The colonel asked impatiently.

"The general gave orders of being notified the moment someone called requesting information on General Fulbright." Face shrugged and leaned back against the table on the deck of what would be temporarily his beach house. "Nothing official; just a few details and this number to get in contact with him."

"Did you call?" BA turned on his seat.

"I thought that would be your job, Colonel," he handed the piece of paper to Hannibal and smiled. "Whatever it is, please, don't give them this address. Honey will kill me if a contingent of MPs slams down the main door." Hannibal nodded and went to use the phone in the living room.

"Honey? That's a cat's name," BA snarled.

"And a top model's in tour for la Côte d'Azur," sighed Face dreamily. He turned to see Murdock leaning over the rail, absently staring at the sea. Any other day, the captain would have cracked a joke about Face's countless female friends who were always running away from him. However, lately, Murdock was just there. No matter how he tried to get back to his old self as the hyperactive member of the team, his heart was not in it yet.

Hannibal conferred with the general for more than an hour. Then, he returned to the table and lit a cigar. Face and BA exchanged glances as though silently deciding who would ask the question.

"That Ludlum is quite something, you know?" Hannibal leaned back on his chair. "Fulbright called him prior to our meeting. He talked to him about his plan of hiring us and flying to Vietnam in search of his son." The colonel made a pause to exhale the smoke. "General Fulbright made it clear that whatever happened there would be under his own responsibility."

"What does it mean?" The sergeant frowned.

"It means that Fulbright got us out of the hook before we bit." Face could not believe their luck.

"Ludlum said that the National Army found the plane where we crashed it and filed the incident as isolated and non consequential. He closed it here and our names were erased from the final report." Hannibal said. "And, as a personal favor, he has started the process to give Tia a refugee status."

"Perfect timing now that she has already settled down at the Mother of Mercy Home in Texas. Finally, we can close this case." Face said with satisfaction. "Hey, our job really pays off. Maybe we could give it a turn; there are a lot of people who actually owe us and…"

"We don't work for that kind of remuneration." Hannibal looked at his friends and grinned. "It's good to know that we leave satisfied clients in our path, though."

"How about that, Murdock? Those are really good news, right?" Face got up and walked towards him. He was getting really concerned about his friend. The wound was not an issue anymore, but he was still looking rather poorly.

"Sure, Face. Really good news." Murdock whispered. "I'm glad... for all us. Tia will be thrilled."

"Maybe we should drive over there and tell her in person," Face said to everybody. "I think we need a long vacation after all we've… Well, you know. We're tired, aren't we?"

Hannibal nodded to that. He understood that Face was talking mainly about Murdock. Back to Vietnam had drained the captain's energy to the limit. Even the doctors at the VA had begun to pay special attention to his unusual behavior. From his part, Hannibal had kept him busy, breaking him out of the hospital for one mission after another and he had responded rather well. Nevertheless, something of his spontaneity was still missing.

Murdock tried to put up a good front, perfecting the art of antagonizing BA. But the sergeant knew his friend was still hurting, so he put up with Murdock's array of personalities and invisible friends without any complain. He even let Billy the dog ride in the van a few times.

"You'd better count me out of this one. I'm…busy for the weekend." Murdock turned and pretended to smile. "You guys go…have fun. Face is right, we deserve a vacation." He could not sustain the façade much longer and quickly looked away. "Tell Tia I say 'hi'."

Face turned to Hannibal as though asking for some kind of intervention, but the colonel seemed more interested in his cigar. After a long pause of merely thinking and glaring at each other Hannibal finally spoke.

"I'm on location this week," he leaned back on his chair. "But I think that you and BA should go. Tia needs to know that we haven't forgotten her. Besides, this is the kind of news you give in person."

Face narrowed his eyes, aware that the colonel wanted them intentionally out of town for a few days. "All right, then, it's you and me, BA; unless you have a lame excuse too."

"Oh, no; I was planning to close the workshop and move here to watch the finals on Honey's big screen TV." BA sighed. "But if you need the company, I'll go with you. In my van, I ain't riding in sissy cars, you hear me?"

"Sure, I- appreciate your offer, I guess," Face glanced at Hannibal while putting the keys of his Corvette in the colonel's hand. The sergeant was already gone when he headed for the door. "It's going to be a really interesting field trip, I tell you."

"Don't forget to take pictures," Hannibal grinned as he and Murdock were left alone. "Murdock, I think you should come with me this weekend."

The captain dropped down his head and sighed as if he had been expecting that. He bit his lower lip while looking for the right words to say. "You just said that you'll be on location. I don't think I wanna spend my time of leisure watching Aquamaniac coming out the water in twelve takes or less. No offense…"

"None taken. I've perfected my entrance, though. It didn't take me more than three shots to get the concept." Hannibal smiled as he heard Murdock's quiet chuckle. "The truth is that I was killed yesterday. I'm completely free." He leaned forward to meet the captain in the eye. "C'mon, Murdock wouldn't you like to spend your time of leisure with a friend? The beach house if free, we've got cable, a fridge full of food, a swimming pool and private beach. Don't tell me you want to go back to the VA just now."

Murdock turned his head to the ocean letting the breeze dry the tears that had rushed to his eyes. He had never felt more vulnerable and defenseless. While one side of his mind wanted to go back to his room at the VA, the other screamed to stay there, with the most reliable and resilient person he knew.

* * *

"I don't know, Face. I don't think that leaving Murdock alone is a good idea," BA said as he got the exit line to the highway. "The fool doesn't look good at all."

"Well, he's not going to be alone." Face leaned back on his seat. "Hannibal got fired yesterday, again. He just wanted us to leave him with Murdock."

"What for? Doesn't he think we're capable of helping him too?" BA considered himself as one of Murdock's closest friends. The fact that Hannibal would not include him in this plan was a personal offense.

"Hannibal must've thought that Murdock would feel more talkative with one instead of the three of us." Face understood how the sergeant felt but Hannibal's plans always worked better when executed as he intended. He patted BA's arm and gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll call in a couple of hours to see how he's doing."

* * *

Hannibal sat on the deck to watch the sunrise and enjoy a cup of coffee. Everything was quiet at dawn. Except for several joggers, nothing seemed to be in a hurry to start moving that morning. He looked at his watch and raised his eyebrows. He had never gotten up so early on Saturday, especially when on vacation. He shook his head, Murdock's nightmares had returned with a vengeance. If he had keeping him awake for most of the night, he could only imagine how Murdock must be feeling right now. He must be sicker than they had thought.

Suddenly, he heard the TV in the living room and supposed Murdock had just got up. Hannibal entered slowly, hoping that the captain would not think he was stalking him.

"Good morning," He said coming in straight to the coffee maker. "Did you sleep well?" There was no answer but he was not discouraged. He went to sit next to the captain and glanced at the screen. Breaking news announced wildfires in the mountains but Hannibal was more interested on see how Murdock was doing. Dark circles were beginning to settle around the pilot's eyes and he looked paler and skinnier than usual. Hannibal decided to be straight forward now. He grabbed the remote control and turned off the TV. "Did you sleep at all, Murdock?"

"Hey, there's a wild fire up North, it looks important." Murdock caught Hannibal's eye and rubbed his neck as though figuring what to say about that. "Did I wake you up last night? I'm sorry," he honestly said.

Hannibal shook his head. Of course, he had not had much sleep last night. It was not easy to sleep while one of the men he considered closer than his own family was suffering. If he had not rushed to calm him down was because there was not much he could do to ease that kind of pain. The symptoms were all too familiar to all of them; they were Vietnam veterans, nightmares and flashbacks were part of their lives. At different levels, the angst always paid visiting hours, but for Murdock, it was like a constant war. Although he had won numerous battles on his own, the process was a struggle that usually left him very exhausted. Hannibal feared that one of those days, Murdock would reach his breaking point and give up altogether.

The silence was deep while the colonel thought about the incidents that had brought so much anguish to his friend. The first thing had been that trip to Vietnam, the shooting, and Fulbright's death. He could keep making a list.

"How's your shoulder?" Hannibal finally said.

Murdock looked up at him as though taken by surprise. "Fine… A little stiff, but it doesn't hurt anymore." He began to feel uncomfortable talking about himself. "I heard the phone ring last night."

"Oh, yes, Face called. He and BA send you their regards." Hannibal leaned forward, resolved to keep the conversation on track. "Murdock, what's going on?" He did not wait for the pilot to give a straight answer. "We've seen you going from bad to worse since we came back. Something's bugging you and I think it's the time for you to talk about it."

Murdock clenched his jaw until his teeth hurt. He wanted to hit a wall, scream aloud and run away but instead, he took a deep breath and spoke. "I don't know…" He almost chuckled. "That's it… I don't know… It should be as easy as speaking up and letting this out but I honestly don't know what's wrong…" He rubbed his face with his hands and then, closed his eyes. "I think I see it in my dreams, but I forget completely after I wake up… Intermittent amnesia," he chuckled. "Who would've thought I'd be caught in my own net."

Hannibal kept quiet for a moment as though hesitating to say what was on his mind. He straightened up and took a purposeful breath. "Why did you quit therapy?" He waited until the captain looked up at him with a frown. "Richter told me you have missed several sessions since we came back from Vietnam."

Murdock did not show his annoyance for what he had just heard, but he could not help but feeling betrayed in some way. "Are you calling my shrink behind my back now?"

"I didn't, he called me." Hannibal shrugged. "He's your friend too and he's concerned." He stood up and walked around to stop near one window. "Murdock, you have to talk. You can't allow this to happen again." He turned back, confident that the pilot understood.

Murdock did. Nevertheless, he would not respond easily. He shook his head instead and walked away. He felt increasingly anxious and one more minute of that conversation would just needle his anger even more. He locked himself in his room and went to bed. He lied down on his back, his arms folded behind his head and his eyes fixed on the fan swirling above on the ceiling. Soon, the steady spinning made him sleepy.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Hannibal asked from the hallway.

"Got a headache."

Hannibal stared at the close door and nodded. He went back to the living room searching for the phone to make several calls before noon. Then, he sat on the deck, with his mind far from here, wondering if Murdock had been ever okay… Years had passed, but sometimes he felt like he would have never got to thoroughly know the man.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Vietnam, 1969

_The building did not have a door. That was the first thing Hannibal noticed when he entered, hopping on his left foot. He looked around until his eyes adjusted well enough to distinguish certain objects strategically placed here and there. There were candles distributed in groups while bowls with incense surrounded a small altar._

"_This is a temple, isn't it?" He frowned at the pilot behind him._

"_Yep, Buddhist." Murdock panted as he dragged a box into the building. "But don't worry; the monks are quite friendly… and neutral." He smiled. "They might be around or not; it's their way." He turned and pointed at Hannibal's hurt ankle. "How's it going?"_

"_Oh, it's not broken." Hannibal limped to a cozy corner and spread his jacket on the floor. He moaned as he sat down. "It hurts as if it was, though." He smiled._

"_You should lift it a little before it starts to swell, Colonel." Murdock said looking around for the usual fountain of water for visitors to clean up before they stepped in to pray._

"_It's Hannibal by the way," the colonel said as the pilot dipped his handkerchief into a neatly decorated bowl of water and wrung it. _

"_I thought your name was John Smith," Murdock quickly came back to wrap Hannibal's ankle with the damp cloth._

"_It is, but I'd rather be called Hannibal." The colonel smirked to Murdock's puzzlement. "It's a long story, or not that long but we'll leave it for another day." He hissed in pain. "So, how come you knew about this place anyway?"_

"_I discovered it a couple of months ag-" He smiled and corrected. "It was more than that, of course. Couple of months ago I wasn't around here…" Murdock finished his task and went to sit leaning against the wall near the colonel._

_Hannibal would not go further on that subject. It had been barely one month since the captain had performed a spectacular flight on a helicopter from the infamous prison camp in Hanoi. Although apparently he did not remember how long he had been in that place, it mustn't be no less than three months. The pilot had unexpectedly returned right by the time he was about to be declared MIA._

"_Anyway," Murdock cleared his throat as though to go on with his story. "I used to come with some of the guys to smoke… well, you know." He shrugged. Hannibal grinned. Pot and other drugs were very popular among soldiers and it was difficult to keep them apart especially within such volatile situations. As a commander officer, he was entitled to lecture his troops about the dangers of sex and drugs but this was neither the time nor the place. Murdock understood that was not a good subject to chat about with a colonel. They had just met and first impressions were rather important. He looked around as though thinking of something more suitable to discuss. "So, I should apologize for the not so smooth landing. I'm usually more careful than that."_

"_Not from what I've heard. In fact, they say you're quite reckless, especially under pressure."_

_Murdock acquiesced in silence. "Col- Hannibal, may I ask you a question?" Hannibal nodded. "Who sent you? No offense, but why do I feel like you've been spying on me?"_

_Hannibal sat up straight, seeking for a more comfortable position for his hurting foot. "Spying, what gives you that idea? I've just heard about you because frankly you're quite noisy."_

"_All right, you've got a point there." The captain seemed startled as he quickly turned his head to the door._

"_What is it?" Hannibal also turned but the only thing outside was a persistent light rain from last few days' monsoon._

"_Nothing… I thought I heard something…" He leaned back again trying to relax. "Where were we?"_

"_You thought I was spying on you," Hannibal suddenly became more interested in the young captain's façade._

"_Oh, sorry about that… It's just that lately I've been under watch by a number of stiff collars…" He tried to chuckled, but there was some sort of sadness in his voice. "They think I'm cracking… ever since I came back." He shrugged. "Some hot shot shrink told my CO that I might not be fit for service anymore." There he went again, Murdock thought. For someone who did not want to talk about bad experiences, he came back to it repeatedly. The colonel must be thinking he was a real basket case._

_Hannibal silently glanced at him. Murdock's wrists still showed signs of torture. Although a man was in his early twenties, he looked almost thirty, with dark shades under his eyes and prominent cheekbones due to malnutrition and lack of sleep. "Murdock, I read that you completed your one hundred hours with a wide margin and yet, you just signed for a second tour, why?"_

_Murdock lowered his head and grinned. "I've never known when to quit and when I learned that you had been asking questions about me, I was so curious that I had to stay and see what's next." He seriously stared at him. "So, what's next?"_

"_Well, I have to admit that I've been spying on you," Hannibal grinned._

_Murdock's expression hardened as though he was in front of a sudden enemy. Nonetheless, he did not feel threatened at all. He knew there was something else on Hannibal's mind, so he waited._

"_You see? I also have a CO, some rare kind of General that has asked me to form a special force. Something not too big; a couple of kids with certain talents to carry out-of-the-record assignments."_

"_An A-Team," Murdock's eyes shone._

_Hannibal was satisfied to see he had caught the captain's attention. "I'm going to need air support. A class act pilot working exclusively for me."_

_The captain breathed as though overwhelmed by processing so much information at once. Then, he leaned back against the wall and chuckled. "What a great impression I must've made on you. Your very first flight with me and I crash the chopper. I really screw this one up, eh?"_

"_I didn't see a crash, I saw a skillful maneuver to keep the shattered blades spinning in the air long enough to find a good place to land. It wasn't that smooth, okay. But it was one hell of a landing." Hannibal took a cigar out of his pocket and grinned. "Is smoking allowed in the temple?"_

"_I used to do drugs in here," Murdock reminded him, with a mischievous glare. The light rain was heavier now and some thunderstorm began to rumble far away. The captain shuddered but he managed to control it before it was too noticeable._

* * *

_Night fell. Hannibal had taken the first watch as he decided that the captain needed the rest more than he and his twisted ankle did. Instead, he went for a short limping walk around the pagoda, just imagining how beautiful it must have been before the war chased villagers away. War was ugly, he hated it but he would stay until the end. There was no point in going home when most of his men were still putting their lives on the line of fire. He could not bear knowing that he could have made a difference for them._

_He heard a moan and he turned to see Murdock sleeping fitfully. His breathing was heavy as if trying to say something in his dreams. Hannibal did not need to wonder what was going on in his mind. He had been a POW himself, more than once, and bad dreams were just like ghosts. He knew them and did not like them either. He walked to the door and leaned against the wall. The thunderstorm was closer now and the air was humid and cold. It would be actually easy to fall asleep under that tropical weather. Hannibal's eyes were almost closed when an agonizing 'No!' startled him._

_Murdock was sitting up, his hands protecting his face as he panted for air. Hannibal came closer, and gently touched his arm._

"_Are you all right, kid?" He was not concerned about the noise since the storm was enough to suffocate any._

_The captain lifted his head and nodded, as though embarrassed to show his weakness in front of the colonel. He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. "I'm sorry…" he mumbled._

"_Not need to be," Hannibal followed him. "Bad dreams are a natural consequence of traumatic experiences. Me for instance-"_

"_Colonel, don't take this personal but I've got enough of those mental terms shrinks label everything with." Murdock avoided Hannibal's inquisitive stare._

"_You should give them a shot, Murdock. I've seen them work wonders." Hannibal took a cigar out of his pocket but did not light it. At night, noise and lights should be avoided as a matter of life and death. "I heard you quit therapy after two sessions."_

_The captain frowned. He was getting really annoyed by conversations about his mental health. "I don't think we should talk about this anymore, I just…" He turned to the door as a lightning struck nearby. All of a sudden, he did not seem interested in finishing the sentence. "Did you hear that?" His heartbeat accelerated as he looked intently towards the darkened jungle._

"_What?" Hannibal turned his eyes to the same point but there was nothing to see but rain and lighting. He carefully scrutinized the area for VC. "It's okay; I don't think Charlie would want to come out to play in this weather anyway." He looked at the pilot, who was shuddering on the verge of collapse. Hannibal attempted to grab his arm but Murdock jerked it away as though touched by fire._

"_Stay away! Don't touch me!" For a second, he seemed immersed into another reality but he was back almost immediately."I'm sorry…" He put one hand over his forehead. "I'm not usually like this, I-I… It's so cold in here." He gave up and went to sit in his corner. He began to rub first his wrists then his arms. Murdock looked up at Hannibal and tilted his head. "D-Did you read in my file that I'm crazy." He chuckled. "I've been in sort of probation, constantly watched. Can't sleep, can't eat without someone taking notes on me…" He tried to hold back the tears, but several trickled down his cheeks anyway. "They think they're very smart but I already know they're there…" He wiped the tears off with the back of his hand and shook his head. "W-when I was caught I made a point of not crying… no matter what they did to me, I didn't cry… Now I can't stop…They're killing me…" Hannibal quietly came to sit next to him and laid one hand on the captain's shoulder. Murdock did not move. "Can't go on pretending everything's okay when it's not… It sucks." He took a deep breath and lied down. Soon, his eyes closed and his breathing decelerated into a more paused and peaceful rhythm._

"_You don't have to pretend with me, kid. I say it's all right to feel like that. No one should go through what you went through. But it's not the end." Hannibal leaned back against the wall and watched over the captain until he went back to sleep._

* * *

_Two hours had passed and Hannibal hesitated before waking up Murdock. The pilot had been struggling in dreams most of the night but for the last fifteen minutes, he finally seemed to have come to terms with whatever demon tormented him. The colonel went to the door and breathed the humid air in an effort to keep himself awake._

"_It looks alive doesn't it?"_

_Although he was surprised, Hannibal did not show it as Murdock came to stand next to him. It was good enough to see him up and about. The colonel could use some hours of sleep too before morning. However, he could not help but noticing the strange sparkle in the captain's gaze. It could be nothing or the first signs of insanity._

"_If you stare for a while you can actually see shadows moving." Murdock's eyes opened wide and did not blink. "And the whispers; the jungle talks, you know? …I'd rather be up there where you can't see faces or hear whispers. Everything's quiet… no ghosts…" He shook his head as if coming to from a trance. He did not look at Hannibal, but he lowered his eyes down to the floor. "You must rest now; I'll wake you up early in the morning."_

_Hannibal thanked him and went to his corner. He was too tired to pursue a discussion that might turn into a dead end argument. One minute with his eyes closed and he was sound asleep._

* * *

_The next morning, the colonel woke up to the sound of a dynamic conversation between Murdock and someone else. He sat up to see the captain in front of the altar with two Buddhist monks. The three of them smiled and exchanged words in Vietnamese and Chinese. From what the colonel heard, Murdock was quite fluent in both languages, but Hannibal could only understand the first one._

"_Oh, Colonel, did you sleep well?" The pilot did not show any signs of anxiety or distress. He looked as normal as ever, and that concerned Hannibal more than the episodes of the night before. "Come and meet my friends. They work here, keeping the place neat and safe."_

"_All things considered they do a great job," Hannibal smiled and translated his words into their language. The monks bowed and smiled back._

"_He saw us coming last night and brought us breakfast." Murdock said with a wide smiled. "I had my share already the rest is yours." He turned on his heels and headed for the door with one of the monks._

"_Wait, where are you going?"_

"_There's another wreckage nearby, I need some spare parts and tools to fix our transportation." The pilot winked. "I'll get that baby ready to go up and away in a couple of hours." He left without waiting for a reply. _

_Hannibal turned to the trays of food in front of him and noticed they were almost untouched. The monk understood his expression and explained that the captain had only had coffee and several pills he carried with him. The colonel shook his head, but sat down to his breakfast. He looked at the monk sitting in front of him and decided to ask him a couple of questions about Murdock. The conversation turned interesting from there._

* * *

_It did not take Murdock more than half an hour to find what the problem was and less than one hour to fix it. He triumphantly came back to the pagoda where the colonel and the monk had just finished their chat. Both men gave him a look that the captain could interpret as a mixture of compassion and affection. That was rather disturbing. He had lived without a father figure most of his life and it was a little late to get two for the price of one._

"_Ready? I just dusted the old bird's wings and it's ready to take you out of here. The sky is rather grey, a thunderstorm is on its way," he announced, wiping the oil off his hands with an already dirty cloth. _

"_It's okay," Hannibal laid one hand on Murdock's shoulder. "As my good friend here says 'even in the darkest cloud there is always light,'" he smiled and lit his cigar. "Don't forget the box," he pointed at one corner and turned to say goodbye to the monks._

_Murdock did not have any intention of eavesdropping but he could not help hearing random words like 'good kid' and 'needing guidance'. He just rolled his eyes. It seemed that lately everybody wanted the best for him; as if he did not know how to get it for himself…_

* * *

_Back in the helicopter, Hannibal sat next to Murdock with a pleased look in his eyes. The pilot shook his head and smiled._

"_What?" He asked the colonel, convinced that there was something else behind that look._

"_Oh, it's nothing." Hannibal adjusted his earphones. "It's just that you've surpassed my expectations. It'll be a pleasure to have you in my team."_

"_I haven't said I will, yet," said Murdock with a grin._

"_You will," the colonel nodded. "I won't lose the Army's best pilot without putting on a fight."_

_Murdock smiled and shook his head. He started the engine and the helicopter began to roar. The metal vibrated a couple of times but in the end, they lift off the ground as usual._

"_Shall we go back to the base, Colonel?" Murdock began to set course._

"_Of course not, we still have a mission to complete," Hannibal pointed at the boxes behind them. "You already know the coordinates."_

"_What's in those boxes anyway?"_

_Hannibal grinned as though he had been waiting for that question. "Well, Captain. I'm not authorized to discuss the boxes' contents with anybody who's not a member of my team. And since so far I'm the only member, I'm not sharing."_

_Murdock laughed and nodded. "Point taken," he exhaled deeply. "Colonel, I think you should know something before we go further with this stuff about the A-Team… As you saw last night, I don't sleep much and then the mornings are like hell. So… I usually t-take something to keep me awake longer… It's not like I'm an addict but…" Murdock kept his eyes on the sky in front of him. "I'm not excusing myself but I felt that I had to be straight with you."_

"_Thank you but I know about the pills, Murdock." Hannibal leaned back in his seat._

"_You know? But you didn't say anything before," the captain turned to look at him, frowning. _

"_I didn't because I knew you would tell me eventually," Hannibal shrugged._

"_How come?"_

"_Because you're honest and trustworthy. You would never betray a friend."_

"_Oh, we're friends now?" Murdock chuckled. "So, after what you saw last night and today's little confession you're still considering me for your A-Team?"_

"_Of course," Hannibal said. "You see? I'm good at judging character. I'm pretty sure that this morning you took the last of those pills and if you promise me to get back in therapy, they won't make any fuzz when I'll request you for my assignments."_

"_You must have a very high self esteem or be a clairvoyant to think you can make me accept just like that." Murdock smiled._

"_A little bit of both," Hannibal took out another cigar and grinned. "Deal?" They shook hands._

_A flash of lightning illuminated the road, followed closely by a resonant peal of thunder. Murdock started and then smiled. "Next time we'll check on the weather forecast before we leave."_

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

3.

"Murdock?" Hannibal called the pilot, who was sitting on the sand, staring vacantly at the sunrise. "Were you here all night long?" The colonel crouched down next to him. He knew it had been so because he had seen him from his window late the night before.

"Did you sleep well?" Murdock grinned and shrugged. "It was a warm night anyway."

Hannibal sighed. "You're out of control, Murdock." He went straight to the point. "You know depriving yourself from sleep is not the answer to your problem-"

"And what is it, then? You know? Because I've been looking for answers half my life and I'm still as lost as the first day we met." He shook his head.

"But you've been doing so well... I thought you had it under control. What happened?" Hannibal wondered almost to himself. "A bullet in your shoulder? The trip back to Nam?"

The captain shook his head. The words were right there but he could not find the way to make them sound coherent enough. He opened his mouth and suddenly he was short of breath. "I was prepared. I-I was ready… The war is over, the ghosts should've been long gone…" He exhaled. "I guess the National Army didn't get my memo: 'Litt'l HM is entering the pool please kiddies, don't make waves,'" he tried to smile but there was no energy in his voice. He had to make an effort to suck in air before going on. "When they shot me I… it took me by surprise… it was really scary… I thought I was gonna die down there…" The last statement came out in a whisper. "Like the general…"

Hannibal laid one hand on Murdock's shoulder. "For a moment I thought so too. But you pulled through, kid; as I knew you would." He could see that his words meant little or nothing to the pilot. In his present state, he did not seem very interested in listening to words of wisdom. Plan B was on its way. "I almost forgot," Hannibal lightened up his tone. "Our friends from Crystal Lake called."

"Are we going fishing now?" Murdock twisted his mouth in a gesture of apathy.

"No, the wildfires are getting closer to the zone and they ask for air support." Hannibal spoke matter-of-factly. "The National Reserves are too busy covering other crucial points and they're short in experienced pilots to assist rescue efforts near the Lake."

"I'm not licensed, they would never let me near a helicopter," Murdock frowned. "Colonel, you didn't say yes, did you?"

Hannibal grinned. "They're waiting for us, with a brand new helicopter just for you. We leave in half an hour."

The captain shook his head, not surprised at all by his colonel's initiative. All those assignments they had been taking lately were mostly to keep him from brooding about his mental state. Sometimes they worked; other times they just bored him to death.

* * *

"I'm so glad you could make it, we're up to our ears with this situation." Officer Hermann smiled as she shook Hannibal's hand. She glanced at Murdock and barely recognized him. He had changed that much since the last time they had been there. The pilot was paler and thinner but above all, he looked sad and distant. A different man from the hyperactive practical joker that drove his friends crazy.

They spread a map over a big table and she proceeded to indicate several points. "These are small communities that have been left isolated by the fire. There are six or seven of them around this area. Rescue teams are working with them but there aren't enough units to reach them all or getting them what they need. Although they're not at risk yet, their supplies are going fast. They need food, medicine and water."

"What kind of chopper do you have available?" Murdock asked without taking his eyes off the map. "Wildfire operations and such?" He looked up at the woman, who nodded. "Colonel, besides the supplies, we'll have to carry water to open paths if evacuations are necessary. I'd like to see the cargo and the helicopter now if it's possible." He followed one of the rangers outside.

"Don't worry. He knows what's he's doing." Hannibal gave the officer a smile.

"Yeah, I can see that," she said. "I'll get you another map to take with you."

"We don't need it. He must have figured out his route already," the colonel said proudly before leaving the brief room.

The sky was grey with smoke and clouds, but Murdock skillfully rode the helicopter through them. Hannibal enjoyed every second of the flight, knowing that the pilot was more than confident at what he did. There was no moment of hesitation throughout the entire ordeal, and the landing could not have been smoother.

"The fire is almost under control in this area, but we were running out of supplies. Thank God you came so quickly." The volunteer in charge of organizing the community welcomed them and several others helped to unload the cargo.

"There's another county fifty miles south from here that needs water. We have plenty and ready to be shipped, if you don't mind, that is."

Hannibal and Murdock exchanged glances. "I'll fill the tank and leave in five minutes." The pilot sighed.

Their mission of relief extended from one community after another and over twenty in total. They did not have time for breathers until the day was over and it was too dark to continue. The emergency was over within fifteen hours and the helicopters were finally called to their bases.

The office was quiet again when the colonel and the captain came in. "That was quite something," Murdock leaned back in his chair at the kitchen table. He took a sip of his first cup of coffee in the whole day. Jennifer put a slice of pizza in front of him but the pilot just stared at it.

"D'you still have a headache?" Hannibal asked from his seat across the table.

Murdock grinned and shook his head. "It's been gone since the first flight," before taking a bite. "You knew, right? As always."

"I only knew you needed a catharsis; something to let the steam out. I just facilitated the setting." Hannibal shrugged in mock humility.

"You did more than that," Murdock glared at his colonel. "They thanked me for volunteering ourselves for the mission, no one asked us to come. You called them, didn't you?"

Hannibal just grinned and put a cigar in his mouth. He wouldn't say it aloud, but he was really satisfied that his plan had come together after all.

4.

"So, what happened next?" Face asked Murdock as they sat in the living room pretending to watch the basketball game with BA. The conversation had gotten to an interesting turn when Murdock and Hannibal began to remember the day they met. Face had heard bits of it, but today, the captain was kind of talkative enough to give details and all. "You obeyed him just like that?"

"He was my CO at the moment," Murdock shrugged. "If he had asked me to jump off a cliff I…"

"You would've said 'after you, Colonel,'" Face completed the sentence. "As you always did. So?"

"So, we got there, some weird people came over, unloaded the boxes, and we returned to the base. The rest is history; I became the first and most valuable member of the A-Team. True story."

"Wait a minute, I was the first one to join the team and Face was the second," BA frowned with his eyes still on the TV screen. "You're gonna tell the story, you'd better get it straight, fool."

"I asked Murdock first. He just played hard to get for a while," Hannibal intervened on his way to the kitchen. He could see the group's harmony had returned stronger than ever within the last few days and that made him very happy.

"And after that you never asked him what was in those boxes?" Face shook his head. "Weren't you curious?"

"And I still am, Faceman, but I haven't had the time to ask him about that yet. Short memory, you know." Murdock leaned back on the sofa. "Like yesterday at the VA. I almost did but it was time for my therapy session and then I forgot again."

"Well, why don't you ask him now?" Face dragged Murdock to the kitchen where Hannibal was cooking. "May I? Hannibal, what was in the boxes?"

"That was a long time ago, Lieutenant. I might have forgotten." The colonel enjoyed teasing Face. "But if you want to know. Well, there was this little village near one of our targets. It was caught in cross fire and almost destroyed. I asked for some relief for them but they were not included in that program, so I decided to help them myself. Out of the record, of course." He turned to Murdock. "I asked for you because I liked your style and I knew you wouldn't ask questions."

"More charity stuff? Now it makes sense," Murdock shrugged and went back to the living room with BA.

"Was that it, then?" Face sat at the breakfast table. "Just for out-of-the-blue charity stuff?"

The colonel turned from the stove to the lieutenant and made sure Murdock was out of earshot now. "The cross fire was in part my idea. We had things under control but I called for aerial support anyway. Those chopper boys put their bombs everywhere. I don't think they knew about the village but it made me wonder if they would've cared. Later I learned that Murdock had been with the squad that afternoon. He never knew about what happened in the village and when I inquired the ASHC CO told me that the incident had been classified. Besides, Murdock was already under enough stress to add more weight on his shoulders. The squad had their hands full trying to get him back to his normal routine after his escape from the Hanoi."

"So, you recruited him to do your secret little job, why? As a sort of atonement or something?"

"I'd been after Murdock because he was different to the other pilots I'd interviewed. He was daring and edgy and above all, totally unpredictable. The kind of man that would do his job for the jazz, as BA would put it." Hannibal nodded to Face's smile. "I requested him for that mission because I needed to make sure he hadn't been corrupted by the unkindness of the war. I found him to be more special than I thought."

Face smirked. "Don't you think that he would've helped you more willingly if he had known the rest of the story?"

"If I had known him back then as much as I do now I wouldn't have hesitated a bit, but in those days, you never knew where your real enemy was; besides, I was in enough trouble myself by doing a mission out of the record." Hannibal shrugged. "Anyway, he did the job without questions and stuck to his promise of silence when I asked him to."

"Yeah, that sounds like Murdock." Face said thoughtfully as he stood up and went back to the living room.

Hannibal stared at him, then, he turned to the stove and lit his cigar before he went on cooking. For the first time since their last trip to Vietnam, the team had finally gotten a moment of peace. The colonel could say at last that the case was closed.

The End

* * *

_Well, thank you for reading my story. I hope you've enjoyed it. See you soon..._


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